Stoney Moss

dabble and whatnot, mostly poetry

Shadow Spot Sunday

Bink on the photos a couple of times to get to larger formats. They look better larger.

It’s pouring outside and has been a wet, wet week. (As I write it is a chilly 42.3 °F with 100% chance of rain and 97% humidity.)

Last Sunday I did some fall cleanup, unusual for me because I usually wait until the following spring. But last week was gorgeous and I wanted to transfer the Jack O’ Lanterns to the compost heap before they started descomposing. They are easier to carry when hard and round than when weepy and dripping. These photos are of trimmings from my pigeon tree. If you’d like to see photos and read a bit about the summer visitors to it, read “Perhaps Once a Year, If I am Lucky.”

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I love Hey Harriet. She creates galleries of some of the last week shots (but do look at Mr Linky for everyone!) and takes you on a tour of her own. Terrific images nicely put together. (Bink on the camera to go to Hey Harriet.)

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15 Comments

  1. Is this Aralia spinosa or Aralia elata? We have the former all over the mountain; the latter is a native of East Asia, but Wikipedia says they’re very closely related.

    • I’ve been thinking it is Aralia spinosa L. based on this description: http://www.fs.fed.us/global/iitf/pdf/shrubs/Aralia%20spinosa.pdf

      “Range.—Devil’s walking stick is found in the Eastern
      United States, from Pennsylvania south to Florida and
      west to Texas and southwestern Iowa. It has escaped
      from cultivation and thus can be found in New
      England, southern Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin,
      Oregon, Washington, and western Europe.” from the Forest Service site.

      We also get a similar shrub in the woods here, a nasty bugger with huge leaves and sharp spines, but it has a very different berry bunch — a beautiful poisonous red stalk coming off the top leave brace. (I’ve seen it in Alaska, too.)

  2. What fragile and delightfully beautiful shadow shots! Really lovely! Love the colors!

    Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

    Sylvia

  3. Very nice shadow shots! I love the delitecate flower in the midst of it


    “Moonlight becomes you” is my contribution!

  4. I love the word ‘bink’ as it fits so well. I love that you took some of Mother Nature’s work for you shadow shots….Michelle

  5. Loved those dainty shadows. I did bink on the pigeon tree photo. seen such a work of nature for the first time! thanks for sharing :)

  6. lovely shots, such nice deep shadows in there…

  7. Beautiful shadow shots! I love the patterns on the branches and the delicate lighting.

  8. I never heard of a pigeon tree before. Glad you included that explanation as I was trying to make the connection between the caption and the images!
    Lovely!

  9. All very interesting shots, but I’ve never heard of a pigeon tree…hmmmm…

  10. Thank you all!

    I should have explained more about the pigeon tree, I see! Funny how much I miss the obvious.

    It’s a small non-native (to Oregon) tree that is visited by pigeons (and cedar waxwings) — and is so loved by pigeon’s that that is one of it’s names.

    “Devil’s walking stick, also known as angelica tree, American angelica-tree, Hercules’ club, pigeon tree, pick tree, prickly ash, prickly elder, toothache bush, toothache tree, and shotbush, is a large, coarse-textured shrub or small tree, ranging from 6 to 10 m in height. The sturdy, ash gray to brown stems have dense, stout prickles … ”

    I think I will have to compile some of my photos and information on this tree. I am fascinated by it. (Obviously.)

    Thank you, everyone, for visiting and commenting.

  11. Your phhotos drew me in for a closer look. Who knew garden clean up could bring the treat of such lovely images?

    Joy………..always

  12. Nice, close shots. Very sharp, in a couple of ways.

    Cheers,

    JzB